Devotion and Disloyalty
by ZHinata317
Summary: This takes place after the second to last episode of Clannad's first season, and it shows a love interest between Kyou and Tomoya and Ryou and Tomoya, but mainly Kotomi and Tomoya.
1. Chapter 1: Goodybye

Setting: after "The Events of Summer holidays" (the second to last episode in the first season of Clannad)

Nagisa knocked on Tomoya's door gently. Tomoya sighed and opened the door. "Good morning, Okazaki," Nagisa said sadly. "Oh, did I wake you up? I'm sorry."

"No. No, it's fine," Tomoya said.

"Well, I just saw Tomoyo walking on the sidewalk outside. Do you think she might be looking for you?"

"Do I sense a hint of jealousy in your voice?" Tomoya teased.

Nagisa flinched. "Okazaki! I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Alright, I was just teasing." Tomoya looked out the window. "I suppose I should go talk to her, shouldn't I?"

Nagisa nodded after a while. "You can come in to eat breakfast right after you talk." She left the room to let Tomoya change. Afterwards, he went straight outside to see what Tomoyo wanted.

"Hey!" Tomoya called. "What are you doing out here?"

"Oh, hi Tomoya," Tomoyo said casually. "Where did you come from?"

"Well, I've been staying at Nagisa's lately."

"Oh." Tomoyo looked disappointed. "I see. Anyway, I just woke up earlier than usual this morning and wanted to see if you were awake yet. Of course, I didn't expect you to be, since no one wakes you up now, unless Nagisa does that. I expected to at least find you sleeping, but you weren't there."

"Why did you decide to check on me?" Tomoya asked curiously.

"It's a calm day. I felt lonely, especially since I'm used to being busy all the time. After all, I won the election."

"I never got a chance to congratulate you on that did I?" Tomoya asked apologetically.

"It's fine. You know, I was going to stop by Sunohara's place. I wanted to see if I still intimidate him," Tomoyo confessed. "I've been hearing strange rumors lately."

"About what?"

Tomoyo looked straight into Tomoya's eyes for a brief moment. Then her eyes shifted away. "Oh, none of it's true. They're actually pretty strange and unbelievable. Yesterday, someone told me that they heard Sunohara was in love with me. Of course it isn't true, but I remembered the time you helped me win the election. Thank you for that." Tomoyo paused. "You know, I once heard a rumor that you were in love with me, but that's obviously not true, especially now that you're dating Nagisa."

"When did you hear that?" Tomoya asked.

"It was before the tennis match. Anyway, now that I'm here do you want me to cook you something for breakfast?" Tomoyo offered.

"That won't be necessary. I'm having breakfast with Nagisa this morning." Tomoya did miss Tomoyo's cooking, but Nagisa seemed sad that morning.

"I understand," Tomoyo said sadly. "It was nice seeing you."

Tomoya went inside and was greeted by a hug and smile from Nagisa.

"What's wrong?" Tomoya asked with concern.

At that point, Nagisa started to cry. Her arms tightened around Tomoya. Nagisa's face was pressed into Tomoya's shoulder. Tomoya gasped when she started crying, but he let her cry on his shoulder. he felt like he was about to find out what was wrong in a minute or two. For the moment, he was there for Nagisa.

"Tomoya-kun..." Nagisa began, "I don't want to abandon you." First of all, Tomoya was surprised to hear Nagisa call him that, but he couldn't imagine why she would choose to abandon him. Tomoya didn't think too much of himself, but Nagisa was always thinking of him. Anyone would have agreed.

Nagisa looked up at Tomoya and released him from her hug. "I'm sorry that I started to cry like that. I just don't want to leave you, but I was offered to be in a dramatic play, and my dad says I would enjoy it. My mom trusts my decision, but I don't know what my decision should be. The location will be a five-hour drive away, so I would have to stay closer to the building for two months. I wouldn't be able to see you for two months."

Tomoya took Nagisa's hand and gave her a comforting smile. "Nagisa, you're being over-dramatic. You should go be in the play. have your fun, and I'll survive. I could even move back with my dad." Secretly, Tomoya hoped that Nagisa wouldn't let him move back with his dad.

However, Nagisa said, "That would be great for you and you dad, wouldn't it? I'll miss you, but...I guess that would be okay." Nagisa looked at the floor. "Would we have to breakup before I left?"

Tomoya gasped at the idea. "Of course not! Why would we do that?"

"Tomoya-kun, I don't want to be selfish. We could breakup before I leave and get back together once I get back if you still want to. That way, you can be with someone else if you want to be."

Tomoya was surprised, but he sighed and said, "If that's what it will take for you to understand that I'm dedicated to you, then alright." Tomoya really doubted that the breakup would be necessary. "So, how much time do we have before you leave? I;m sure we can fit something fun in."

Nagisa hesitated. "Well, I was afraid to tell you, so I didn't tell you until the day before I would have to leave. Tomoya...I'm leaving tomorrow."


	2. Chapter 2: The Fujibayashi Twins

Two days after Nagisa left, Tomoyo was walking around Tomoya's neighborhood again. Tomoya sighed when he saw her, but he went outside to go see what she wanted.

"I thought you were staying at Nagisa's place," Tomoyo said.

"Well, she's going to be gone for two months so she can be in a play." Tomoya frowned.

"Aw, you didn't breakup, did you?" Tomoyo teased.

"Actually, we did," Tomoya said unhappily.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean—"

"It's fine. She said that we could get back together once she comes back. She just thought that I might find someone else." Tomoya felt frustrated with himself. "Listen, would you mind leaving me alone today?"

Tomoyo nodded and walked away quietly. When she was out of Tomoya's view, she was spotted by Kyou and Ryou.

"Hey!" Kyou yelled. "What are you doing here?" Ryou looked at her sister with worry.

Tomoyo sighed. "If you must know, I came to check on Tomoya, but he's upset and wants to be alone because Nagisa left to be in a play. Nothing new has really happened, so calm down. He and Nagisa have only temporarily broken up. By the way, if you're going to go ahead to see him even though he wants to be alone, he's no longer staying with Nagisa."

Kyou wasn't satisfied with Tomoyo's reply. "What makes you think you need to check on Tomoya? He has his friends for that!" Ryou tried to get Kyou to calm down.

"Then why don't you do check on him now? He's available, so shouldn't you be jumping at the chance to be with him. After all, aren't you in love with him or something?"

Kyou took a moment to slightly calm down. "I'm not in love with him, but I'll let you pass anyway!" Tomoyo walked away, trying to avoid a long pointless argument with Tomoya. Kyou and Ryou walked to Tomoya's house. Ryou was wondering whether they should still go in after what Tomoyo said, but she didn't want to argue with her sister. When they knocked on the door, Tomoya reluctantly answered.

Kyou grinned at Tomoya. "Hey, Tomoya! Come to the beach with us for a picnic. You won't have to swim unless we really want you to!"

Ryou stepped in front of her sister. "What she means, Tomoya, is that if you come to the beach with us, we could have a lot of fun."

Tomoya tried to be polite. "I guess that would be okay." He suddenly felt guilty for telling Tomoyo to leave him alone now that he was acting like nothing was wrong near Kyou and Ryou. _It's fine_, he thought. _Kyou and Ryou would take it more personally if I told t_h_em to do away._

Kyou led Ryou and Tomoya into her car. "I didn't know you had your own car or knew how to drive one," Tomoya said.

Kyou smiled casually. "Well, there are a lot of things you don't know, especially after you skipped all those classes, but today is a day to fun." Tomoya was slightly scared to let Kyou drive them to the beach, but he relaxed after a minute.

At the beach, Kyou, Ryou, and Tomoya enjoyed eating sushi and pork buns on a colorful mat. While they were eating, Tomoya saw someone in a distance. Kotomi was walking along the shore of the ocean. She was wearing shorts and an orange tank top. Her long blue hair was blowing in the wind. At first, Tomoya, couldn't recognize her. When she turned and Tomoya could see her face, he was certain that it was Kotomi. It reminded him of the time when they were in the library and she was standing next to an open window and the wind was blowing her hair.

"Is something wrong, Tomoya?" Ryou asked. "You look like your mind just went blank."

Tomoya shook his head. "It's nothing. I just saw Kotomi over there. Should I go get her?" Ryou and Kyou agreed that would be a good idea, so Tomoya went to go get Kotomi.

"Kotomi-chan!" Tomoya called.

"Hello, Tomoya-kun," Kotomi said. "It's a nice day, isn't it?"

"Do you want to come over to where Kyou and Ryou are? We're having a little picnic."

Kotomi's face was unreadable. "You're having a picnic…with Ryou and Kyou? I actually have to go now, but can I stop by Nagisa's bakery tonight to talk to you about something?"

Tomoya explained what was going on between him and Nagisa and told her to stop by his house instead. Kotomi smiled, nodded, and left the beach. Tomoya was sad that she had to go, but he made his way back to where Kyou and Ryou were sitting.

"What took you so long?" Kyou demanded. "And where did Kotomi go?"

"She had to go home," Tomoya explained.

Kyou smiled playfully and stood up. "Oh well. I'm going to go take a dip in the ocean. You can come along when you feel like it." She ran off to the ocean, leaving Ryou with Tomoya.

"Tomoya," Ryou said, "Tomoyo said that you and Nagisa have temporarily broken up. How long will she be gone?"

"Just two months, but she insisted on breaking up to make sure that she wasn't being selfish."

"So you're definitely going to get back together when she comes back?"

"Well, most likely, unless someone somehow convinces me to change my mind. Why are you asking?" Tomoya waited for a response. "Ryou, you can just say whatever you want to tell me, and I won't get mad.

Ryou sighed. "Alright, here it goes. Tomoya, I want to ask you to change your mind. I mean, you don't have to. You and Nagisa are probably meant to be! I just feel like…" Ryou was clearly blushing. She took a deep breath in order to calm down. "Tomoya, I've had a crush on you for a while now." Ryou's heart was beating quickly. She was so nervous about talking to Tomoya.

Remembering Kyou's advice, Ryou just stopped talking. She looked straight into Tomoya's eyes and slowly leaned closer to him. At first, Tomoya stared at her with wide eyes. When he was an inch away from Ryou, he moved a centimeter forward and a foot back. "Nagisa said that I could be with someone else, but I'm still loyal to her," he said.

"Tomoya, I'm so sorry," Ryou said. She was clearly upset, but Tomoya said it was okay. Just then, Kyou came back. Ryou decided to take a walk along the shore by herself.

"And now we're alone," Tomoya said. "You're not going to tell me that you've had a crush on me for a while now and then try to kiss me, are you?"

Kyou gasped. "What was your reaction? You know, it must have taken her a lot of courage to do that, so you better have been nice."

"Relax. I just rejected her kiss told her that I'm still loyal to Nagisa. I told her not to be sorry."

"Ugh! Why are you still loyal to Nagisa, anyway? She broke up with you, didn't she? You didn't want to breakup, but she did, right?"

"Okay, I'm sorry. She just left two days ago."

Kyou looked at the ground. "I'm sorry. Will you at least consider going out with someone else? It wouldn't be cheating."

Tomoya smiled. "You're always watching out for Ryou. At one point, I actually had a crush on you."

"Don't try it on me, Tomoya! Just remember that you don't have to be completely loyal to Nagisa. I bet she hasn't even tried to kiss you yet, unlike Ryou."

When Ryou came back, Kyou dropped Tomoya off at his house. The sun was just beginning to set. It was almost time for Kotomi to come to Tomoya's house.


	3. Chapter 3: New Door

"Kotomi-chan! Come in. I was waiting for you." As always, Tomoya greeted Kotomi with a warm smile. Kotomi gladly stepped in, but Tomoya put his hands in front of her eyes while they were in the living room, because he didn't want her to see his dad.

When they got to Tomoya's room, Kotomi sat on his bed. "The reason I came here was to ask you if you wanted to go somewhere with me over the weekend. It's a festival with papers all over the wall. There will be an art gallery and a section with scientific charts. I've been asked to bring in a few charts, and I offered to bake pastries too. I was wondering if you would come to the festival with me."

"I guess that would be fun." Tomoya sat next to Kotomi. "You seem like there's a lot on your mind. Is that all you have to say?"

"Tomoya-kun…do you think we could…call it a date?" That definitely caught Tomoya off guard.

"I thought you were going to ask if we could read together."

"Well, you said reading together wouldn't be any fun, but the festival will be. The festival will be a lot of fun, so would I be able to call it a date…Tomoya-kun?"

"Then we would have to be dating. I would be your boyfriend…and you would be my girlfriend."

"Is that okay?" Kotomi looked innocently at Tomoya. Their eyes met for a long moment. Tomoya was realizing how beautiful her eyes were.

"Would it be weird if I was falling in love with you right now?"

"I thought you fell in love with Nagisa."

"That's what I thought, but if I never had that one moment of falling in love with her, would that mean that we weren't…" Tomoya realized how close he was to Kotomi. Instead of finishing his question, he wrapped his arm around Kotomi and let her rest her head on his shoulder, and she didn't mind at all.

"Tomoya," Kotomi whispered, "it's really dark outside. Do you think I should be heading home?"

"Kotomi-chan, that's your decision." Tomoya began to think that he might be better off with Kotomi than Nagisa. He had never been able to even comfortably call Nagisa "Nagisa-chan."

"Would it make you uncomfortable if I just stayed here for tonight?" Kotomi asked with a yawn.

"Of course not. I can tell that you're really tired. You can lie down next to me, or I can sleep on the floor." Kotomi smiled at him and gave him a light kiss on the cheek.

"You don't have to sleep on the floor. After all, we would just be sleeping, so we can be next to each other…unless, of course, you would be uncomfortable. I can sleep on the floor if you want."

"That won't be necessary." Tomoya was about to kiss Kotomi, but before she could realize what was happening, she fell asleep.

In the morning, Kotomi woke up before Tomoya did. She eagerly waited for Tomoya to wake up. For the time being, she watched him peacefully sleep. In her eyes, Tomoya was an amazing person. Kotomi wanted him to see her as an amazing person.

As quietly as she could, Kotomi let her pig tails down and raked her hands through her hair. As she was doing this, Tomoya woke up. "Good morning," Kotomi said. "It's a nice day, isn't it, Tomoya-kun?"

"Yeah, sure. I've never seen you with your hair down. You look beautiful."

Kotomi blushed as she put her hair back up. She walked outside with Tomoya, clinging to his arm. "I have to go home now," she said.

"Come on, I'll walk you." As they were walking, Kotomi felt weird about the silence between them. She tried to start a conversation. "Tomoya-kun, do we have a time limit to be together?"

Tomoya had to think about her question for a moment before answering. "Maybe it would be best if we only dated until Nagisa came back." He couldn't look Kotomi in the eye as he said this. He felt pretty stupid for saying it. "Or not. Could I have some time to think about it for a while?"

"Alright, don't keep me waiting for too long." When Kotomi's house came into view, Kotomi and Tomoya could see Kyou standing at her door.

Upcoming chapter: Girl Genius


	4. Chapter 4: Girl Genius

Note to readers: I forgot to mention that I have not watched Clannad After Story, just to let you know.

Kyou noticed Tomoya and Kotomi walking toward her. "Hey, you two," she said. "I was just coming over to ask a favor of Kotomi, but I guess she was helping you instead, right Tomoya? Maybe you were doing something else, but it doesn't matter if you're still available for Ryou.

Tomoya wasn't sure how to respond to Kyou. "Uhhh…"

"A favor is something granted out of goodwill," Kotomi interrupted. "I wasn't doing him a favor, nor was he doing me a favor. He is currently available, so be sure not to bully him."

Kyou looked at Kotomi for a while. Then she turned to Tomoya. "Why was she at your house so early this morning?"

"She was just returning my wallet, because I dropped it at the beach yesterday."

Kyou was convinced after a few seconds of thought. "Alright, I'm not about to interrogate you, but Kotomi needs to go shopping with Ryou and me. Would you like to lend us your wallet, Tomoya?"

"Sorry, but no."

"Fine then. I'll let you save up for your date with Ryou someday, hopefully soon." Ryou and Kotomi went off to go shopping. Kotomi smiled and waved goodbye at Tomoya, and he smiled back.

Later Tomoya went over to Sunohara's room. "Did Tomoyo stop by your house or anything?" Sunohara asked Tomoya. "She came to my room on a random day to wake me up. She said you were sulking over your breakup with Nagisa and she needed someone to talk to, so she came to me. It's like she thinks of us as her backup friends who she only talks to when she's desperate."

"I wouldn't say that," Tomoya said.

"So is it true that you and Nagisa broke up? She was just joking about that, right?"

"Well…she left to be in a play, so yeah, we did breakup."

"Are you serious, Tomoya?"

"It was the only way she could be sure that she wasn't being selfish."

"Oh, I guess that would make sense for Nagisa, but it's not like you're dating anyone else, are you?"

"Actually, I'm apparently dating Kotomi now."

"What? You mean you're dating that nerdy girl with blue hair?"

"Kotomi's hair is actually beautiful, and if you're going to say those things about her, why don't you just keep your mouth shut or change the subject? You know, there are rumors about a love interest between you and Tomoyo."

"Seriously? How in love with me is she, exactly?"

"This is serious love. You should confront her before she becomes absolutely obsessed with you. I saw her through the window of the grocery store on my way over here. If you're lucky, she'll still be there. Here's some advice: Pretend you discovered her feelings yourself. She'll be amazed by your brilliance."

"Wow. Do you think I should just go over like this, or should I—wait a minute! This isn't another one of your jokes, is it?"

"I think that's the first time you've said that, at least before making a fool of yourself. Are you actually getting smarter?"

"I'm not as smart as your new girlfriend. One day, I asked her what she knew about horses, and she went on about their scientific names and other things I don't remember. It looks like you'd better change your delinquent ways."

"You shouldn't have asked her what she knew about horses in the first place. She's a genius, and you know it."

"Do you think Nagisa will consider dating me when she comes back?" Sunohara said cheerfully.

"Sunohara, I should probably tell you something. I really don't like the pastries at the bakery."

"You're probably just trying to hog them all for yourself."

Tomoya thought for a moment. "Yeah, you got me."

When Tomoya left, he saw Kotomi wearing a new purple t-shirt and a white skirt. She smiled and walked up to him.

"Tomoya-kun, I could've gotten out of that conversation without lying to Kyou? Why did you lie about your wallet?"

"Well, you said I was available," Tomoya said in defense.

"To be available means to be ready for use. I didn't currently need you for anything. Therefore, you were available."

"Well, in that case, I apologize. If you say you weren't lying, then I trust you."

"It's a wonderful day, isn't it, Tomoya-kun?"

"Not really. The sun's shining really brightly. It's in my eyes."

"You should appreciate the sun. Even though it's like other stars, it's our star, so it's really important. Without the sun, the sky would be black all the time, and we wouldn't have a lot of energy here on Earth. It's because of radiation from the sun that scattering occurs, which is what makes the sky light blue. You should appreciate it before it dies. Of course, we would have died by then, but it's important to be thankful for it."

"Kotomi-chan, you're my star," Tomoya said.

"Shall you escort me to the public library?"

"Of course."

"Would you be much obliged?"

"Yeah, sure, I guess so."

Kotomi grabbed Tomoya's arm, and they went to the library. While they were there, Tomoya saw Yukine browsing the books. Tomoya went upto her and talked to her.

"Yukine, remember me, Tomoya Okazaki?"

Yukine was slightly shocked by his voice. She slowly turned her head to look at him. "Oh, hello. Would you like me to use a love spell to help you and Nagisa? How is Nagisa, anyway?"

"Well, I'm sort of dating Kotomi Ichinose now. You know her, right?"

"Of course. I went to her violin recital. Do you need a love spell to help you and Kotomi?"

"There's no need for that."

"Then what do you need me for today?"

"It's nothing. I just saw you, and I wanted to say 'hi.'"

"I don't mean to pry, but have you and Kotomi kissed?"

"No, we haven't, at least not yet."

"Do ten jumping jacks, close your eyes, and count to ten in your head. Anyone within twenty miles of you who is in love with you will approach you and kiss you. The speed that you count will affect how soon this happens. Do you want to try it?"

"Sure, I guess. I mean, I doubt anyone is in love with me besides Kotomi and Nagisa, but Nagisa's farther away than twenty miles."

Tomoya did everything that the spell called for.

"Okazaki, there's something you should know," Yukine said. She shifted uneasily. "If someone knows about the spell, it doesn't affect them."

"Okay, thanks, Yukine. Have a nice day."

"I hope you and Kotomi have a great year together. I hope you don't have to separate because of college."

"Well, I don't think I'll go to college, so I can just go where Kotomi goes."

"Oh." Yukine paused. "Okazaki, Kotomi probably set her goals high. She could be going far away for college. You can try to go wherever she wants to go, but you might have to be willing to go faraway places. Wasn't she offered to go study in America? She stayed here because of you and your friends, but she really wanted to go."

"In that case, I'll help her pay for her trip. You have nothing to worry about."

Yukine smiled. "You really are a helpful person. Well, good luck."

Tomoya found Kotomi and together, they left the library.

"So, did you have fun with Kyou and Ryou yesterday?"

"Well…" Tomoya looked at Kotomi, and it seemed like his answer was really important to her. "Hold on, are you jealous?"

Kotomi didn't answer.

"Let me put it this way. They're like the rabbit and the deer, but seeing you is better than seeing them, because…"

Kotomi smiled. "I love you, Tomoya-kun."

Tomoya smiled back. "I love you too."


	5. Chapter 5: Love Spell

Sorry for the long wait. I started waitching Clannad After Story right after I got out of school.

A knock came at the door. Tomoya groaned, but he got up to answer it. "You two again?"

"Hey, we could just leave you alone to your sulking, but we actually care about you. Now come on." Kyou grabbed Tomoya's arm and pulled him outside. "We still need to get Kotomi so that we can all go to the beach together. Today's even sunnier than the other day."

Ryou, Kyou, and Tomoya all walked to Kotomi's house. "I'll go inside and get her," Kyou said. "You two stay here." Then she ran inside.

"You know," Tomoya said when Kyou was out of sight, "I saw Yukine at the library today, and she gave me a love spell to use. She said that whoever is in love with me would approach me and kiss me, but she said that if they knew about the spell, it wouldn't affect them."

"So, I guess that's why you're telling me." There was a moment of silence. "Ummm…you should probably tell Ky—I mean, Kotomi. You should probably tell Kotomi about the spell. Maybe you're not the most romantic person, but you should at least respect your first kiss. I suggest that you either kiss her before she kisses you, or just tell her about the spell."

"Kotomi?"

"I think she's obviously in love with you. I mean, you can't really blame her, right?" Ryou was blushing.

"Actually, I don't really know what anyone sees in me."

Ryou laughed shortly. "You've helped everyone in so many ways. You helped Nagisa fit in with our class and start the drama club, you helped Kotomi with her garden and making friends, you helped Tomoyo win the election, you helped Sunohara with the basketball game, you helped my sister whenever she asked you for help, which also helps me, and I feel like I'm forgetting something. I think you also helped a little girl…." Ryou shook her head. "Anyway, you're a really helpful person who cares about everyone."

Just then, Kyou stepped outside with Kotomi. "Sorry it took so long," Kotomi said. "I had to pack my things for the beach, and I'd just finished unpacking them."

Tomoya smiled. "It's fine, I'm always willing to wait for you."

Kyou looked back and forth between Tomoya and Kotomi. Finally, she said, "Alright everyone, let's get going." Once they got to the beach, Ryou and Kotomi were ready to get into the water, but Kyou told them to go ahead. "I hope you don't mind," she said, "but I'll just need a moment to talk to your new boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" Kotomi asked, puzzled.

Kyou looked up at Kotomi and smiled. "Yes, boyfriend. I'm smart enough to notice things like this. Run along now."

"I guess we should," Ryou said sadly.

Kyou turned around as Ryou and Kotomi walked away. Immediately, her cheerful smile faded. However, she didn't look angry. Instead she looked at Tomoya with sad eyes.

"I guess I should've waited," Kyou began. "If I hadn't spoken to you, you would've been completely devoted to Nagisa! Ryou…that poor girl…she's probably heartbroken right now. I mean, sure, she didn't love you enough to tell you how she felt, but it would've taken her a lot to motivate her to do that. Trust me; I've been trying to bring you two together." Kyou's eyes were starting to water.

"It's not your fault!" Tomoya said quickly. He couldn't recall ever seeing Kyou cry before in his life.

Kyou wiped her eyes. "To be honest, I'm not really sure how she feels. I guess I was just…describing how I feel."

Kyou and Tomoya sat face-to-face together on the beach.

"Kyou, I—"

"Shh," Kyou whispered as she leaned toward Tomoya. Tomoya's eyes widened as his and Kyou's lips locked. In fact, he fell back against the sand. Kyou was right on top of him. She stared down at him, into his beautiful hazel eyes. Tomoya, on the other hand, was still shocked at what was happening.

"You're under a love spell!" a voice said suddenly.

Tomoya and Kyou both looked up at Kotomi, who was standing next to Ryou. Once Kyou realized what had happened, her face turned red. She got up and punched Tomoya's face.

"You-You revolting idiot!" Kyou yelled. "You cast a spell on me again?"

"I didn't know you were in love with me!" Tomoya snapped back.

Kyou flinched. "Well I…I…think you're more stupid that usual. In fact, if you really think I'm in love with you, then you're as dumb as Sunohara! Ryou, I don't know about you, but I'm leaving."

"I'm sorry," Ryou said before she rushed after her sister.

Later, Tomoya and Kotomi walked back to her house. Kotomi still clung to Tomoya's arm. At first, their walk was full of silence. Finally, Tomoya asked, "How did you know about the spell?"

"I was on the other side of the bookselves," Kotomi replied, "so I overheard your conversation. I'm sorry if you didn't want me to hear."

"No, it's fine. I'm sorry about what happened at the beach."

"I was only mad at you for a second before I saw your face. You were really shocked."

"Yeah, I was."

"A lot of people like you. I bet Yukine and Tomoyo both like you too."

"I doubt that," Tomoyo said, blushing.

"You know what your problem is?"

"I have a lot of problems. You'll have to be more specific."

"When Nagisa left, you just wanted to be with someone other than her. You know, I could picture you laughing at the idea of you two breaking up. You told me that it was the only way Nagisa could be sure that she wasn't being selfish. You didn't think she was being selfish at all. You let her leave thinking that everything could go back to normal once she came back."

Tomoya took a moment to think about that. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. It's just that I've been thinking about something. If we're going to break up anyway, maybe we should do it now while I'm able to."

"In that case, I know what I have to do," Tomoya whispered to himself.

"What was that?" Kotomi asked.

"Oh, it's nothing. I'm just wondering if we can delay our breakup for a little longer. I need to think about something."

After Kotomi went home, Tomoya went over to the Furukawa bakery. Akio was there, and Tomoyo assumed that Sanae was just in the other room.

Akio frowned. "Oh, I thought you were a customer. What do you want? Nagisa's not even here."

"I've come, because I'm going to break up with your daughter!" Tomoya blurted out.

Akio's eyes turned red. "If Nagisa comes home crying, I'm going to kill you!"

"Hey, there's no point in doing that! Anyway, I was wondering if you could tell anyone who was looking for me that I left to find Nagisa."

Akio calmed down a little. "Fine. I didn't even get a chance to give her some fatherly advice about something like this."

"Well, what were you planning to say?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but I was going to say that love is like Sanae's bread, because no matter how pretty it can be, it can be really deadly."

Tomoya noticed that, as usual, Sanae was standing right behind Akio as he said that. She started to cry.

"So that's how it is?" Sanae asked. "My bread is deadly?" Sanae ran away crying. After stuffing pieces of bread into his mouth, Akio ran after her. Tomoya sighed and went home.


	6. Chapter 6: Tears Leading to Joy

It was finally Friday, and Kotomi wasn't sure if she could still look forward to going to the festival with Tomoya. She needed to do some shopping, so she decided that while she was out she would stop by Tomoya's neighborhood. If he was awake, she would talk to him. Kotomi got dressed in a navy blue skort and a white T-shirt with a pocket. When she was in Tomoya's neighborhood, Akio saw her walking.

"Are you looking for Tomoya?" Akio asked. "Hey, aren't you a friend of Nagisa?"

"Yes, that's right," Kotomi replied.

"Well, Tomoya went to look for Nagisa. Unfortunately, he—"

"Excuse me, but I have somewhere to go," Kotomi said politely. She stifled her tears until she was out of Akio's sight. As she walked away, tears streamed down her face.

Kotomi went to the library and found an area with no people. She tried to read, but the words on the paper were blurry. Kotomi kept wiping her eyes with her arm. Even when she could read, the words were meaningless to her. What Kotomi needed was her happy ending.

Somehow, Kotomi forced herself to stop crying. She went ahead and did her shopping like she had planned to in the first place. As she was searching for a price tag a shirt, her hands were shaking. Frustrated, she clapsed her left wrist with her right hand. When Kotomi turned around, she found the Fujibayashi sisters staring at her.

"Uh, Kotomi, what are you doing?" Kyou asked.

Kotomi let go of her wrist. "I…" When her hands began to shake, she grabbed her wrist again. "I'm just shivering."

"Why? It's summer."

"I just…never should've dated Tomoya, that's all," Kotomi mumbled.

"This isn't because of what happened at the beach yesterday, is it?"

"No, it isn't like that. I was just informed that Tomoya went to go find Nagisa."

"Oh. In that case, are you okay?"

Kotomi forced herself to smile. "I'll be fine. By tomorrow morning, everything will probably go back to normal. Tomoya will be back with Nagisa, and I'll accept that. I can only hope that I won't lose any of my friends. You were all so helpful, especially Tomoya." For a moment there was silence.

"Heh. There's nothing more awkward than awkward silence, right?" Kyou said playfully. Her smile faded quickly. "Anyway, there's no need to fake a smile. Ryou and I can help you with anything you need."

"That's right!" Ryou confirmed.

"So you see," Kyou continued, "we're still your friends. There's nothing to worry about. Over the past year, Tomoya's become too much of a softie to just forget about your friendship. Everything will be just fine."

Kotomi frowned. "Maybe I want more! If everything goes back to normal, that might be just fine, but if I could only be with Tomoya forever, everything would be perfect. We would be living in a state of being complete to our full potential. I'm sorry. I suppose I'm sulking for a dumb reason. I feel like I should head home."

"Well, call us if you need us."

"I will." Kotomi began to walk home without shedding a tear.

"KOTOMI!" Tomoya yelled suddenly. "Kotomi, wait!" Tomoya stopped running when he was finally in front of Kotomi, panting.

Kotomi gasped. "What happened to you?"

"It doesn't matter." Tomoya stood up straight and stopped panting. "Is it okay if I stay with you forever?"

Kotomi stared at him in shock. "You shouldn't attack me with such an important question. Besides, I thought you left to go find Nagisa."

"Good thing I went when I did. Two teachers from America have come to Japan to teach, and they were stopping by the place that Nagisa was staying at. Nagisa introduced me to them after I…broke up with her and told her that I was dating you. They teach different subjects, so you would be able to learn extensively if they taught you. Maybe you wouldn't be able to go sightseeing in America, but I can promise to take you there one day."

Kotomi gazed at Tomoya in amazement. "That's crazy."

"What do you say…Kotomi-chan…"

"Tomoya-kun…"


	7. Epilogue

Tomoya and Kotomi had already graduated together. Kotomi was starting to learn under her new American teachers. She was beginning to learn about theories. Whenever Kotomi came home, Tomoya welcomed her. They were living together in Kotomi's house.

"How was your day?" Tomoya asked one night.

"I think I'm lucky," Kotomi said. "You fixed everything. It's a lot more than I can ever do for you."

"Hey don't say that, okay? I think that you're an amazing person. You're smart, kind, beautiful, and amazing."

"It doesn't mean that I deserve someone who's helpful, approachable, benevolent, and brave."

"Why don't we go out tonight…you know, on a date?" Tomoya asked.

"Alright, where are we going on this date?"

"Do you mind if I surprise you?"

Kotomi nodded. Tomoya grabbed a backpack went with her to a restaurant and paid for their food. The restaurant wasn't too far from their high school, so they ate their food just outside the building. It was dark, so Tomoya took out a candle and lit it.

"This is nice," Kotomi commented. "It's a peaceful night. There's no one in the world I would rather spend this moment with."

"Me too," Tomoya said.

Tomoya and Kotomi looked right into each other's eyes. As they leaned forward, Kotomi's hand rested in Tomoya's. Finally, their lips came together in their first kiss. It lasted for five whole seconds. Kotomi and Tomoya smiled at each other.

Kotomi looked up. "It's a full moon," she pointed out. "You know, love is kind of like the moon. When it's full, it's a beautiful thing. When you can't see it, the world just isn't as bright. It gives you something bright to look at when there is darkness."

"Well, I've never thought of it that way, but you're right," Tomoya agreed.

Kotomi and Tomoya went home eventually. They sat down on a couch. They were both sleepy.

"Kotomi, will you marry me someday?" Tomoya asked.

Kotomi rested her head on Tomoya's lap and whispered, "Someday…I would love to marry you."

Tomoya smiled and closed his eyes. "Someday…"


End file.
